John Grint MBE, Stoke-on-Trent. Pain on eating can’t be much fun and it’s important to get to the root of the issue. The symptoms you describe are characteristic of temporomandibular disorder. The temporomandibular joint connects the lower jaw bone with the upper jaw and the rest of the head — it acts like a hinge, angling up and down. The joint can also slide forwards, allowing the mouth to open wider. It is controlled by the masseter and pterygoid muscles, and the nerves that control these muscles are also connected to the muscles of the middle ear. This link means that when the joint dysfunctions, it can be felt as earache. Some patients may also experience tinnitus (a ringing noise in the ears), limited ability to move the jaw, and clicking or locking in the joint.